If God is all powerful, all knowing, just and loving, and if He's all goodness and graciousness then why is there such evil in the world?!  Where is God's love then?  Where is His justice?  If He's all powerful, why can't He stop the injustice?  If He's all loving, then why does He not protect His children from evil?  Why do we always hear about these terrorists and their heinous acts of evil?  Why does God allow such evil?   This is a question that comes to everyone's mind at some point in their lives and the answer to it might surprise you...  It is because of God's love, mercy and justice that He allows evil in the world!  Perhaps this might sound very strange at first, but allow me to explain and I hope that by the end of this article you might thank God for allowing evil for so long!   There's Evil in the World Because God is Merciful God is merciful upon all His creation.  Some of His children have strayed from His way and inflict evil upon the world.  God however is a "gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm." (Jonah 4:2)  God is patient because He has "no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live." (Ezekiel 33:11)  This is why St. Peter says "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some ...

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In Genesis chapter 6 we read about Noah building the ark according to God's commandment.  We can estimate the length of time it took Noah to build the ark from a few verses.  Genesis 5:32 and Genesis 6:10 mention that Noah was 500 years old.  Genesis 7:6 reads "Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth."  This tell us that the ark took about 100 years to build. A question that comes to mind is why did it take that long?  Obviously it's a very large vessel built by a 500 year old man, but why did God allow this to take 100 years to build?  Remember at that time the earth was filled with corruption and unrighteousness but God didn't destroy it yet.  The Bible reads "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth." (Genesis 6:11-12)  Yet God tolerated man's atrocities for over 100 years while the ark was being built!  How can God let evil flourish for that long?  Even today we might find ourselves asking the same question.  We're living in a time where innocent people are being murdered, Churches being burnt, Christians' homes and shops being destroyed, and yet God is letting it all happen.  It might seem to us that God is looking the other way w...

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In Genesis Chapter 3 we read about man's fall.  Adam's sin caused mankind to be exiled from the paradise of joy.  Even during the punishment however we see God's mercy and His compassionate hand start to heal us. We see that God punishes Adam by exiling him from the paradise of joy.  This punishment however is out of God's mercy and love for us "lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever." (Gen 3:22)  God did not want man to live forever in sin, away from Him. Even the punishment of death we see His mercy.  St. Gregory the Theologian says "Yet here too He provides a benefit--namely death, which cuts off sin, so that evil may not be everlasting. Thus His punishment is changed into mercy." So too are our personal experiences with God.  Whenever God punishes us, He does it with mercy and utmost love.  He might bring temporary pain so that we may turn to Him for help.  And when He delivers us, the harsh experience becomes a solid foundation for faith which we can build a lasting relationship with Him.  In this case the pain is without a doubt for our benefit.  He prunes us that we may bear more fruit (John 15:2)  Job discovered this fact when he said "He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole." (Job 5:18)  In the RSV translation it reads "he smites, ...

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